BONTOC, Mountain Province – Regular employees of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) are now entitled to a hazard pay of P1, 000 monthly.
Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey approved the ordinance passed by the Sangguniang Bayan of Bontoc granting other bonuses and allowances (hazard pay) to the regular employees of the MSWDO.
Sponsored by Sangguniang Bayan member Jerome Tudlong, Jr., Mayor Odsey along with the SB members gave a nod for the passage of Ordinance No. 343, s. 2021 recognizing that employees of the MSWDO are exposed to the hazardous work area as they attend to emergency operations where their lives are placed at risk.
The local officials acknowledged that the country experienced natural calamities such as typhoons and southwest monsoon that caused flooding and render many roads impassable in many areas in the municipality. During these situations, personnel of the MSWDO play a vital role in addressing the needs of the affected communities through the provision of humanitarian assistance and among others.
The officials added that the personnel of the MSWDO are also at risk as they attend to emergency operations and in the discharge of their functions.
With these situations, Mayor Odsey remarked that it is high time for the personnel of the MSWDO to receive hazard pay as they are also in the frontline in any natural or man-made disasters.
“Our personnel from the MSWDO deserve to be fairly compensated for their sacrifices especially since they face inevitable risk while working on the ground,” the mayor added.
The allocation and payment of hazard pay for Public Social Workers are mandated under Republic Act 9433, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Social Workers.
Also, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Circular No. 451, s. 1996 provides that compensation premium or allowance may be provided to officials and employees, who because of their nature of work, are exposed to hazard may be covered with the prescribed hazard pay.
Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Bayan of Bontoc earlier passed Ordinance No.330, s. 2021, granting other bonuses and allowances (hazard pay) to regular employees of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO). The said ordinance was sponsored by Councilors Jerome Tudlong, Jr., and Alsannyster Patingan. It was stipulated in the ordinance that affected personnel shall be entitled to receive their hazard pay starting February 2021 irrespective of the date of its approval and affectivity.
The ordinance stipulates that most of the time, MDRRMO personnel stake their lives to give humanitarian assistance or save the lives of those affected by calamities.
Mayor Odsey approved the ordinance recognizing that said employees are among the human resource of the Bontoc Municipal Government who are exposed to hazardous work areas as they attend to emergency operations where their lives are placed at risk.
He added that the hazard pay is equitable compensation for the services they provide and due to the environment where they are being exposed in the performance of their assigned duties and responsibilities as disaster risk reduction and management workers.
The ordinance states that all regular employees of the MDRRMO shall be entitled to the prescribed hazard duty pay which shall be P1, 000 per month regardless of their period of exposure.
Section 3, Article 8 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall protect labor, promote full employment, provide equal opportunities regardless of gender, race, or creed and regulate employee-employer relations.
DBM National Budget Circular No. 451, series of 1996 provides that compensation premium or allowance may be provided for officials and employees, who, because of the nature of their work, are exposed to hazards.
Further, provisions of the circular explain that those in work areas where rescue operations or evacuations had to be carried out due to natural calamities, where the rescuers are directly and exposed to harm, danger, or occupational risk or perils to life in the course of performing their duties, may be covered with the prescribed hazard duty pay.
Under the circular, officials and employees who are directly involved in rescue operations shall be entitled to hazard duty pay at the maximum rate per month regardless of the period of exposure.//
